Structural device



Feb. 15, 1966 J FORD 3,234,997

STRUCTURAL DEVICE Filed Aug. '7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JAMESA. FORD ATTOR ME YJ Feb. 15, 1966 FORD 3,234,997

S TRUG TURAL DEVI CE Filed Aug. '7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W PRIOR marINVENTOR. JV/W65 14'. F090 United States Patent 3,234,997 STRUCTURALDEVICE James A. Ford, Sturgis, Mich, assignor to Kirsch Company,Sturgis, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Aug. 7, 1963, Ser. No.300,541 6 Claims. (Cl. 160345) This invention relates to a traverse rodconstruction and particularly to a traverse rod having several novelfeatures by which said traverse rod has a better appearance, holdsdraperies in a more attractive position and provides savings inmanufacturing costs over traverse rods previously known to the industry.

Traverse rods for supporting draperies have been known for upwards ofthirty years and improvements in such traverse rods have been made fromtime to time during this period. Several of the previously knowntraverse rods have been reasonably acceptable and have met with a greatdeal of commercial success. However, in a constant effort to improvetraverse rods, a great deal of further investigatory work has beencarried out and a number of points have been discovered at whichtraverse rods can be substantially improved. Particularly, the rounded,somewhat C-shaped, appearance of prior rods was believed necessary toprovide a smooth contour but a rod of such design has been relativelyexpensive to make. On the other hand, if a design could be found whichincorporated sharp bends and which would still have an acceptableover-all appearance, it would provide much better control in the rollforming operation and, therefore, it would be a less costly product tomake. Further, present traverse rod designs have usually been of such ashape that a drapery heading which extends to a point in front of orabove the rod nearly always is forced to include outwardly, particularlywhere the drapery is bulky. This has been tolerated in most cases asbeing inevitable. However, a much improved product would be obtained ifthe rod could permit such headings to stand upright, particularly if thedesign permitting the headings to stand upright also requires the lessexpensive manufacturing techniques as above mentioned.

Accordingly, the objects of the invention include:

(1) To provide a traverse rod, which has a more attractive appearance,which holds the heading of a drapery supported by said rod in a morenearly vertical position, which is less costly to manufacture and, ingeneral, which provides a rod improved in many respects over previouslyknown traverse rods.

(2) To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, which is of a moldedappearance having a plurality of line-generating angles by which thelength and the cleanness of design thereof is accentuated.

(3) To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, which is of such shape thatdrapery headings can stand more nearly upright than in previously knowndesigns, without the use of additional hooks, guides, fastenings orother special equipment.

(4) To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, which will be less costlyto manufacture than previously known traverse rods but which will havean attractive appearance and a sturdy construction.

(5) To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, particularly of the onewaydraw type, having novel pulley means at the single pulley end thereof,which pulley means will 3,234,997 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 ice beeconomical to manufacture, capable of rapid installation and entirelysatisfactory in operation.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will become apparent topersons acquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an oblique, fragmentary view of a traverse rod structureembodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an oblique, partially broken away and exploded, view of apulley structure adaptable to the single pulley end of a one-way drawtraverse rod according to the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a rear view of the pulley structure of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view taken from the rightward end of FIGURE3.

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view taken from the leftward end of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary, rear elevational view of the double pulleyend of a one-way draw traverse rod, the same being equally illustrativeof either end of a twoway draw traverse rod according to the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, rear elevational view of the single pulleyend of a oneway draw traverse rod in which the pulley structure ofFIGURE 2 has been utilized.

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of a conventional traverse rod showingin broken lines the position of the drapery heading and the supportinghook therefor.

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 8 showing the draperies in apartially open position.

FIGURE 10 is a view like FIGURE 8 but showing the traverse rod embodyingthe invention and the position of the drapery and hook thereon.

FIGURE 11 is a view like FIGURE 9 but showing the traverse rod embodyingthe invention with the draperies in a partially open position.

In the following description, certain terminology will be used forillustrative purposes and it will be understood that this terminology ischosen solely for illustrative purposes and with no limitedsignificance. For example, the terms upper and lower will refer to thedevice in its normal position of use which is also the position shown inthe respective drawings. The terms forward and rearwar will refer todirections toward and away from the center of the room in or withrespect to which the traverse rod is being used. Thus, the termforwardly means toward the observer (leftwatdly in FIGURE 1) andrearward means away from the observer (rightwardly in FIGURE 1). Theterms inward and outward will refer to directions toward and away fromthe geometric center of the device. Said terminology wi l also includederivatives of the words above specifically mentioned as well as otherwords of similar import.

In meeting the objects and purposes above set forth, I have provided atraverse rod 1 of novel configuration as shown in the drawings. The rod1 is in a broad sense C-shaped in that it is of a generally closedconfiguration and is provided with a slot 2 along its back side forreception of the drapery supporting slides. The rod ll, however, hasimmediately below said slot 2 a vertical planar portion 3 of smallvertical extent and a slightly outwardly and downwardly angled planarportion 4 extending downwardly therefrom. The bottom wall 6 of said rodis substantially planar and is joined at a sharp edge 7 with an upwardlyand outwardly angled planar portion 8 of the front wall of the rod 1.The upper edge of said planar portion 8 is joined at 9 with an inwardlyand upwardly angled planar portion 11. The upper edge of portion 11joins at 12 to an upwardly and outwardly angled planar portion 13. Asubstantially planar top wall 14 extends rearwardly from the upper edge16 of the portion 13 and is reversely bent at 17 to provide a flange 18which is joined with a downwardly extending vertical portion 21. Thevertical portion 21 and the vertical portion 3 are coplanar and theiropposing edges define the slot 2.

The top wall 14 and the bottom wall 6 may, if desired, each be providedwith longtitudinally extending grooves 19 and 19a.

The planar portion 8 is positioned at an angle of approximately todegrees with respect to the vertical, that is, with respect to theportions 3 and 21 for purposes appearing further hereinafter. The edges7 and 16 are set rearwardly slightly from and with respect to the edge 9for purposes also appearing further hereinafter and, preferably, edge 7is set rearwardly with respect to the edge 16. The planar portion 8 ispreferably positioned in such a manner that an extension downwardly ofthe plane defining said portion will intersect, or at least come closeto, the point at which the drapery hooks H are supported by the slidersS, namely, the point 20.

A pair of end fittings are secured to the ends of the rod 1 for mountingsame upon a wall. Where the traverse rod is intended for two-way drawoperation two pulley supporting end fittings are used which are mirrorimages of each other so that the pull cords can be reversed from one endof the rod to the other. One such pulley supporting end fitting 26 isshown in FIGURES 1 and 6 and it has a projecting portion 27 closelyembracing suflicient of the traverse rod 1 to assure a solid connectiontherewith when same are telescoped together. Said end fitting 26 has atop panel 28 and a forward depending skirt 29. The top panel 28 isnotched at its outer end for reception of a mounting bracket 32. Saidend fitting has pulleys 34 and 36 mounted therein by a plate 37 in amanner already conventional.

Where the traverse rod is intended for one-way draw operation, a pulleysupporting end fitting 26 is used at one end of the rod and a differentend fitting 38 is used at the other end. The end fitting 38 correspondsto the end fitting 26 except that it does not have pulleys or a pulleysupporting plate mounted thereon. The pulley associated with the endfitting 38 is provided by mechanism to be described hereinbelow.

The rod 1 may be supported at longitudinally spaced points by awall-mounted bracket 41 which may be any of many types, such as the oneshown and described in detail in my application Serial No. 169,794.However, as shown in FIGURE 1 for illustrative purposes, the mountingbracket 41 has a flange 42 attachable to a wall and a forwardlyextending top portion 43. The top portion 43 preferably is provided withmeans for adjusting same toward and away from the wall upon which theflange 42 is mounted. A bracket hook 44 is provided at the end of saidtop portion for engaging the wall portion 13. A seating or snuggingplate 46 is mounted on the bracket 41 for engaging the traverse rodunder the flange 18 and holding same solidly against the hook 44.

Turning now to the pulley mounting for the single pulley end of theone-way draw form of traverse rod, attention is directed to FIGURESZ-S.

The pulley mounting 51 is comprised of a pulley housing 52 and amounting extension 53 which may advantageously be formed, as by plasticmolding, in a single integral unit with a shoulder 55 being provided atthe juncture thereof. The mounting extension 53 is shaped to fit snuglywithin the traverse rod 1 with the shoulder 55 abutting against the endof said rod. The mounting extension 53 may, if desired, have projections54 for engaging strike-outs 56 in the top and bottom walls of the rod 1for holding said pulley mounting extension 53 firmly in place. Thefront, top and bottom surfaces of the pulley housing 52 may, as shown,be of the same cross-sectional size and shape as the corresponding partsof the traverse rod 1. The rear wall 57 of the pulley housing 52 extendsvertically and is offset rearwardly from the rear wall portions 3 and 21of the rod 1.

A pair of laterally aligned internal slots 58 and 59 are provided onopposite vertical internal surfaces of the pulley housing 52. Slot 58 isprovided in a boss 61 on the rear wall 57 of housing 52. Slot 59 isprovided in the thickened portion of the front wall of housing 52. Theslots 58 and 59 are blind channels ending at and 62, respectively. Thepulley 63, may, if desired, be solid with axially projecting hubs or itmay preferably, as in the illustrated embodiment, comprise a rotatableperipherally grooved exterior 64 mounted on and for rotation withrespect to a relatively non-rotatable hub structure 65 having a pair offorwardly and rearwardly projecting stub shafts 67 and 68. Saidprojecting stub shafts 67 and 68 are positioned within the slots 58 and59 and abut against the ends 60 and 62 thereof. There is a tight fitbetween the stub shafts and the slots 58 and 59 so that said stub shaftsare held in position by friction and by the tension on the cord receivedaround the exterior 64 of the pulley.

Operation To assemble the traverse rod 1 of the present invention as atwo-way draw rod, two pulley supporting end fittings 26, which aremirror images, are fastened to the opposite ends of the traverse rod bytelescoping their fastening portions 27 over the respective ends of thetraverse rod, and then clamping same to said rod. The draw cord ismounted on the pulleys and attached to the master slides in conventionalfashion. In assembling a one-Way draw rod, the drapery supporting slidesand master slide are inserted from the end of the rod to be occupied bythe single pulley, the cords are threaded therethrough and affixed tothe master slide in the usual manner and then looped around the singlepulley 63 prior to its insertion into the pulley housing 52. When saidpulley is so inserted, the cords may be tightened and the pulley therebyseated solidly against the ends 60 and 62 of the slots 58 and 59. Thus,the assembly of said pulley 63 into position and its assembly with thedraw cord of the traverse rod is extremely rapid. This greatly reducesthe cost of assembling this portion of the traverse rod and therebycorrespondingly reduces the cost of the final product.

Insofar as the operation of the draw cord, and its cooperation with thepulleys, is concerned, this is the same as in prior art constructionsand, hence, needs no detailing.

The action of the cross-sectional shape of the traverse rod of thepresent invention in permitting the drapery to stand more nearly uprightthan in conventional traverse rod constructions is best illustrated byreference first to FIGURES 8 and 9 which illustrate the correspondingaction of the present conventional designs. Referring to FIGURE 8, thereis shown a drapery rod R of one present conventional and widely useddesign. The broken lines represent the drapery heading D in the closedcondition of the draperies and a supporting hanger H therefor and itwill be seen that said drapery heading angles forwardly as shown. Thiscannot be cured by extending the carrier forwardly inasmuch as this isalready as far forward of the track as possible. In typicalinstallations the heading D lies at an angle of about 8 degrees withrespect to the vertical. FIGURE 9 shows the same construction when thedraperies are opened. Here the drapery begins to wad together and rollinto the face of the track. This not only moves the drapery headingstill farther forwardly as shown (to an angle of about 15 degrees withrespect to the vertical in a typical installation) but, worse, it drawsthe pendant of the slider S somewhat forward thus twisting the slider inthe track so that the slider no longer slides smoothly. Because of theincreased packing action of the draperies as same are opened, thisaction becomes more severe as the drapery is made wider and, thus, stillfurther increases the resistance to opening thereof.

Turning now to FIGURES and 11 showing a rod,

made according to the invention, attention is directed first to FIGURE10 which corresponds to FIGURE 8 and which shows the heading D of thedrapery in a vertical position. The setback of the edge 16 with respectto the edge 9 permits the drapery heading D to stand upright and evenwith the slider S in place, the drapery will still stand upright.Further, with the projection of the edge 9 forwardly of the upper edge16, there is no tendency for the drapery, and especiallymatch-stick-type draperies, to catch on the bracket 41 as the draperymoves along the traverse rod and accordingly the smooth action of sameis promoted.

As the draperies open and tend to pack as above mentioned, such is atleast in part accommodated by the downwardly and rearwardly anglingportion 8 as shown in FIGURE 11 so that the forward tilting thereof ismuch less than with the present conventional rods and is usually about10 degrees. Thus, the appearance is not only enhanced but the forwardangling of the sliders S and consequent binding thereof against thetrack is greatly re duced whereby a much longer track may be usedwithout exceeding an acceptable requirement for traversing force.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has beendescribed above in detail for illustrative purposes, it will berecognized that variations or modifications of such disclosure, whichlie within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

l. A traverse rod for supporting flexible draperies comprising thecombination:

an elongated, hollow traverse rod having a longitudinally extending,lateral slot in the rear wall thereof, said rod having a substantiallyplanar front wall lower portion inclined upwardly and forwardly and asecond, rearwardly and upwardly inclined portion above said lowerportion whereby draperies supported upon said rod will be substantiallyfiat against said lower portion when said draperies are in a packed-backcondition and can extend vertically adjacent the forwardmost point onthe rod when the draperies are in a closed condition; and a third,upwardly and forwardly inclined portion extending upwardly from theupper end of said second portion, the forwardmost part of said thirdportion terminating rearwardly of the forwardmost part of both saidlower and said second portions, whereby a rod supporting bracket mayengage the forwardmost part of said third portion without projectingbeyond the forwardmost part of said first and second portion.

2. In a traverse rod of generally C-shaped cross section for supportingflexible draperies and having a longitudinal slot in the rear sidethereof with slidable hangers mounted in said slot and extendingdownwardly with respect to said track, the improvement in thecrosssectional shape of said traverse rod comprising:

a substantially planar and horizontally oriented bottom wall;

a first front wall portion extending upwardly and inclined forwardlyfrom the forward end of said bottom wall;

a second front wall portion extending upwardly and inclined rearwardlyfrom the upper edge of said first portion;

a third front wall portion extending upwardly and inclined forwardlyfrom the upper edge of said second portion, the upper edge of said thirdportion being positioned rearwardly from the upper edge of said firstportion;

a substantially planar top Wall extending rearwardly and horizontallyfrom the upper edge of said third portion, said top wall beingsubstantially parallel with said bottom wall; and

wall means extending downwardly from the rearward edge of said top walland upwardly from the rearward edge of said bottom wall toward eachother for defining a slot for supporting said hangers.

3. In a traverse rod of generally C-shaped cross section for supportingflexible draperies and having a longitudinal slot in the rear sidethereof with slidable hangers mounted in said slot and extendingdownwardly with respect to said track, the improvement comprising:

a pulley mounting having a mounting portion telescoped within saidtraverse rod and a hollow pulley housing rigidly afiixed with respect tosaid mounting portion and extending longitudinally away from saidtraverse rod, said pulley housing being open at the end thereof remotefrom said traverse rod, said pulley housing having a pair of parallelslots extending thereinto from the open end thereof, the lengthwise axesof said slots being parallel with the longitudinal axis of said traverserod; and

a pulley received within said pulley housing and having hubs projectinginto said slots.

4. The traverse rod defined in claim 3 wherein the central opening insaid pulley housing has substantially parallel side walls, said slotsbeing formed in said side walls, and wherein the exterior contour of thepulley housing is substantially similar to that of said traverse rod.

5. In a traverse rod of generally C-shaped cross section for supportingflexible draperies and having a longitudinal slot in one wall thereofwith slideable hangers mounted in said slot and extending downwardlywith respect to said track, the improvement comprising:

a pulley mounting having a mounting portion telescoped with respect tosaid traverse rod and a hollow pulley housing rigidly affixed withrespect to said mounting portion and extending longitudinally away fromsaid traverse rod, said pulley housing being open at the end thereofremote from said traverse rod, said pulley housing having a pair ofparallel slots extending thereinto from the open end thereof, thelengthwise axes of said slots being parallel with the longitudinal axisof said traverse rod; and

a pulley received within said pulley housing and having hubs projectinginto said slots.

6. A traverse rod construction, comprising:

a hollow, elongated traverse rod having a planar back wall, a front walland substantially planar top and bottom walls which are parallel witheach other, said back wall having two vertically spaced substantiallyvertically extending wall portions defining a longitudinally extendinglateral slot, said front wall having an upwardly and outwardly inclinedplanar lower wall portion extending from the front edge of said bottomwall, an upwardly and inwardly inclined intermediate planar wall portionextending from the upper edge of said lower portion and an upwardly andoutwardly inclined planar upper wall portion extending from the upperedge of said intermediate portion, said upper wall portion being joinedwith the forward edge of said top wall, said forward edge of said topwall being rearwardly offset from the upper edge of said lower wallportion, and a central opening within said rod similar incross-sectional shape to the external cross-sectional shape thereof;

a pulley mounting mounted on one end of said rod, said pulley mountinghaving a mounting extension slidably received within the central openingof said traverse rod and having a hollow pulley housing extendinglongitudinally from said mounting exten sion and extending away fromsaid traverse rod, the end of the central opening in said pulley housingremote from said mounting extension being open, said pulley housinghaving an external crosssectional shape similar to the cross-sectionalshape of said central opening and the opposite vertical internalsurfaces of said pulley housing having a pair of laterally aligned,blind end slots extending through the open end of the central openingthereof, the lengthwise axes of said slots being parallel with thelongitudinal axis of said traverse rod; and

pulley received within the central opening of said pulley housing andhaving stub shafts projecting into References Cited by the ExaminerUNITED STATES PATENTS Boye 160346 Bell 160345 McMurray 1694 Cameron160345 Bell et a1. 16-94 Graber et al. 1694 said slots and abuttingagainst the blind ends thereof. 10 HARRISON MOSELEY, Primary Emmi-"ch

6. A TRAVERSE ROD CONSTRUCTION, COMPRISING: A HOLLOW, ELONGATED TRAVERSEROD HAVING A PLANAR BACK WALL, A FRONT WALL AND SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR TOPAND BOTTOM WALLS WHICH ARE PARALLEL WITH EACH OTHER SAID BACK WALLHAVING TWO VERTICALLY SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING WALLPORTIONS DEFINING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING LATERAL SLOT, SAID FRONTWALL HAVING AN UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED PLANAR LOWER WALL PORTIONEXTENDING FROM THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, AN UPWARDLY ANDINWARDLY INCLINED INTERMEDIATE PLANAR WALL PORTION EXTENDING FROM THEUPPER EDGE OF SAID LOWER PORTION AND AN UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINEDPLANAR UPPER WALL PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER EDGE OF SAIDINTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID UPPER WALL PORTION BEING JOINED WITH THEFORWARD EDGE OF SAID TOP WALL, SAID FORWARD EDGE TO SAID TOP WALL BEINGREARWARDLY OFFSET FROM THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID LOWER WALL PORTION, AND ACENTRAL OPENING WITHIN SAID ROD SIMILAR IN CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE TO THEEXTERNAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE THEREOF; A PULLEY MOUNTING MOUNTED ON ONEEND OF SAID ROD SAID PULLEY MOUNTING HAVING A MOUNTING EXTENSIONSLIDABLY RECEIVED WITHIN THE CENTRAL OPENING OF SAID TRAVERSE ROD ANDHAVING A HOLLOW PULLEY HOUSING EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM SAIDMOUNTING EXTENSION AND EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID TRAVERSE ROD, THE END OFTHE CENTRAL OPENING IN SAID PULLEY HOUSING REMOTE FROM SAID MOUNTINGEXTENSION BEING OPEN, SAID PULLEY HOUSING HAVING AN EXTERNALCROSSSECTIONAL SHAPE SIMILAR TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE OF SAIDCENTRAL OPENING AND THE OPPOSITE VERTICAL INTERNAL SURFACES OF SAIDPULLEY HOUSING HAVING A PAIR OF LATERALLY ALIGNED, BLIND END SLOTSEXTENDING THROUGH THE OPEN END OF THE CENTRAL OPENING THEREOF, THELENGTHWISE AXES OF SAID SLOTS BEING PARALLEL WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXISOF SAID TRAVERSE ROD; AND A PULLEY RECEIVED WITHIN THE CENTRAL OPENINGOF SAID PULLEY HOUSING AND HAVING STUB SHAFTS PROJECTING INTO SAID SLOTSAND ABUTTING AGAINST THE BLIND ENDS THEREOF.